Perceptions and Business E-mail

Don’t kid yourself… We do it off-line when we meet someone new or see a person walking down the street. Perceptions are made and are a natural reaction to what we see, feel and hear.

For example when meeting someone new or viewing passing by:

• Are they into personal hygiene?
• What language do they choose to use when they speak to you?
• Do they look you in the eyes when they speak to you?
• Do they offer a firm or timid handshake?
• Do they enunciate when they talk or are the hard to understand?
• Is their outfit appropriate for the occasion?

All of the above are things that run through our minds when we form an initial opinion/impression about another person in the off-line world.

With e-mail, most of the above is not available to use to determine what kind of person is on the other side. So instead we look at:

• What is the tone of the e-mail?
• Did the Sender take the time to spell-check?
• Did the Sender take the time to be courteous and choose their words carefully.
• Did the Sender make the effort to communicate in such a way so that you know exactly what they mean?
• Did the Sender care enough to have proper sentence structure, grammar and punctuation?

People make judgments almost every minute of every day. You can say that you don’t — but you do. How you e-mail someone simply speaks volumes to what you feel is important and your level of perceived education. Your actions or lack thereof when it comes to your business e-mail communications can also reflect on your business image, branding and reputation.

You are how you type…

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